Short Wave
New discoveries, everyday mysteries, and the science behind the headlines — in just under 15 minutes. It's science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor. Join hosts Emily Kwong and Regina Barber for science on a different wavelength.
If you're hooked, try Short Wave Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/shortwave
- Update frequency
- every 2 days
- Average duration
- 12 minutes
- Episodes
- 1344
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2025
How The Coronavirus Could Hurt Our Ability To Fight Wildfires
Now is when we'd normally be getting ready for fire season. And this upcoming one could be tough for states like California, which had an especially dry winter. The spread of the coronavirus however …
00:10:25 |
Fri 03 Apr 2020
Honeybees Need Your Help, Honey
A deadly triangle of factors is killing off U.S. honeybees. Last year, forty percent of honeybee colonies died in the U.S., continuing an alarming trend. Entomologist Sammy Ramsey tells host Maddie S…
00:11:55 |
Thu 02 Apr 2020
Is This Real? Loss of Smell And The Coronavirus
Doctors around the world are sharing stories of patients losing their sense of taste or smell — and testing positive for the coronavirus. Is it a real symptom of COVID-19? There isn't scientific evid…
00:11:59 |
Wed 01 Apr 2020
Seen Any Nazi Uranium? Researchers Want To Know
Encore episode. NPR science correspondent Geoff Brumfiel shares the story of Nazi Germany's attempt to build a nuclear reactor — and how evidence of that effort was almost lost to history. It's a tal…
00:14:09 |
Tue 31 Mar 2020
Lessons In Being Alone, From A Woodland Snail
Bedridden with illness, Maine writer Elisabeth Tova Bailey found an unlikely companion — a solitary snail a friend brought her from the woods. Elisabeth spent the following year observing the creatur…
00:13:27 |
Mon 30 Mar 2020
No, The Coronavirus Isn't Another Flu
President Trump has compared the coronavirus to the seasonal flu. NPR reporter Pien Huang speaks to host Maddie Sofia about why the coronavirus appears deadlier and more transmissible — and why it po…
00:13:00 |
Fri 27 Mar 2020
Stay Home And Skype A Scientist
The spread of the coronavirus has led many to stay home in recent weeks. During that time, the non-profit Skype A Scientist has seen a surge in demand for its service of virtually connecting students…
00:10:17 |
Thu 26 Mar 2020
Exploring The Canopy With 'TreeTop Barbie'
Encore episode: Pioneering ecologist Nalini Nadkarni takes us up into the canopy — the area above the forest floor — where she helped research and document this unexplored ecosystem. Plus: the story …
00:13:45 |
Wed 25 Mar 2020
Why Is The Coronavirus So Good At Spreading?
Ed Yong rounds up some theories in a recent article for The Atlantic. He tells host Maddie Sofia one reason the virus spreads so well might have to do with an enzyme commonly found in human tissue.
Em…
Em…
00:13:00 |
Tue 24 Mar 2020
It's Okay To Sleep Late (But Do It For Your Immune System)
Dr. Syed Moin Hassan was riled up. "I don't know who needs to hear this," he posted on Twitter, "BUT YOU ARE NOT LAZY IF YOU ARE WAKING UP AT NOON." Hassan, who is the Sleep Medicine Fellow at Brigha…
00:10:27 |
Mon 23 Mar 2020
Keep Your Distance
It's a phrase we're hearing a lot now, social distancing. Practicing it is essential to slowing the spread of the coronavirus. But what does it really mean? NPR's Maria Godoy gives us advice on what …
00:13:45 |
Fri 20 Mar 2020
Yep. They Injected CRISPR Into An Eyeball
It's no exaggeration to say the gene-editing technique CRISPR could revolutionize medicine. We look at a new milestone — a CRISPR treatment that edits a patient's DNA while it's still inside their bo…
00:08:44 |
Thu 19 Mar 2020
Coronavirus Can Live On Surfaces For Days. What That Really Means
It actually behaves much like other viruses in that regard. NPR health correspondent Allison Aubrey has more on what we know, what we don't, and tips on how to keep surfaces clean. More from her repo…
00:10:46 |
Wed 18 Mar 2020
Coronavirus Is Closing Schools: Here's How Families Can Cope.
As schools across the U.S. shutter for weeks at a time, Short Wave looks at the science behind the decision. Plus, tips from a psychologist on how to cope with long, unexpected periods at home.
Learn …
Learn …
00:14:30 |
Tue 17 Mar 2020
Is Failure To Prepare For Climate Change A Crime?
That's the central question of an unprecedented lawsuit against a company whose chemical plant flooded during Hurricane Harvey in August 2017. Containers and trailers there caught fire, sending up a …
00:11:48 |
Mon 16 Mar 2020
Coronavirus Latest: Testing Challenges And Protecting At-Risk Elderly
There's a lot going on with the coronavirus. To keep you up to speed, we'll be doing more regular updates on the latest about the pandemic. Today, NPR science correspondents Jon Hamilton and Nell Gre…
00:16:28 |
Fri 13 Mar 2020
Humble Pi: When Math Goes Awry
Pi Day (3/14) approaches. To help honor the coming holiday and the importance of math, stand-up mathematician Matt Parker unspools a common math mistake known as the off-by-one-error. His new book is…
00:11:34 |
Thu 12 Mar 2020
As Coronavirus Spreads, Racism And Xenophobia Are Too
Coronavirus is all over the headlines. Accompanying the growing anxiety around its spread, has been suspicion and harassment of Asians and Asian Americans. For more on this, we turned to Gene Demby, …
00:13:03 |
Wed 11 Mar 2020
Freshwater Mussels Are Dying And No One Knows Why
In 2016, biologists and fishermen across the country started to notice something disturbing. Freshwater mussels were dying in large numbers. NPR National Correspondent Nathan Rott tells us about the …
00:10:46 |
Tue 10 Mar 2020
Creating Antimatter: Matter's "Evil Twin"
Physicists have done the math and there should be as much antimatter as matter — but that hasn't been the case so far. NPR Correspondent Geoff Brumfiel explains what's up with matter's "evil twin," a…
00:12:32 |
Mon 09 Mar 2020
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